Side Hustle Snack Bar - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Maggie G.

We visited Side Hustle Snack Bar in Dartmouth for a weekend brunch with our family (two adults and our five year old), and while it has a lot of potential, and positive reviews by friends, the experience left us underwhelmed.

The atmosphere leans toward modern industrial with a cool vibe, but the cleanliness didn’t match the style. Our booth was next to wooden beams that were covered in thick dust … something our curious child couldn’t resist running her hands through. The washroom also needed attention; the dusty fake plant was especially off-putting.

Service, however, was a bright spot. Our server was friendly, efficient, and well-informed about the menu. That said, we were only offered the brunch menu, which felt limited.

Food-wise, my husband enjoyed his burger, describing it as “similar to a McDouble”. He got it with a side of crispy tater tots and ketchup. Our daughter had a fried egg and garlic fries (ordered as two sides since there’s no kids menu). The fries were a hit, though we weren’t sold on the addition of Parmesan. I ordered “The Diner” which has two eggs, bacon, tater tots, sour dough toast and jam. The eggs were unfortunately undercooked (egg white was not solid), and I found it odd that my plate didn’t include ketchup (unlike my husband’s). And there no basic condiments like salt and pepper and ketchup were provided on the table.

Portions were fine, but value was another story. My small brunch plate came in at $20, our daughter’s two side plates totaled $11 with no fruit or veggies, and the burger was $14 plus $5 for the side. The grand total was $57. For that price point, I expected more care in both presentation, selection, and cleanliness.

We might return to try their regular menu, but brunch didn’t hit the mark - especially in a neighbourhood that’s known for its up-and-coming food scene.

Meg L.

Great burgers! Came here with four friends and we all tried each others plates. Burgers, fried chicken sandwich, loaded fries, rice bowl were all packed with flavour. Super friendly server(forgot name, long dirty-blond hair) and a bright, open, clean space. Kid friendly as well.

Sid G. (.

We popped in for coffee and dessert, and are impressed with both. We tried both desserts and are going back for dinner. The Fun House coffee is probably one of the tastiest as well.

Friendly & attentive service and we appreciated them sharing the recipe to their strawberry cake.

Mireka S.

Came here recently with a group, for my best friend’s birthday celebrations.

The atmosphere was amazing, very nice and cozy feel. Great lighting.

We had a table in the private area, which made it nice and intimate.

Staff were very friendly and attentive.

I had an order of the Cauliflower for my appetizer and that was the best tasting cauliflower I’ve ever had. Very flavourful, a little bit of spice to it. 10/10 dish.

I had the Smashie for my main and damn was it ever great. Very flavourful and the burger patties were nice and juicy. One of the best smash burgers I’ve had in the city! 10/10

I also ordered the Zing Zing, which is a nonalcoholic cocktail. It was super tasty.

I will definitely visit this place again.

Justin R.

Holy moly this was fantastic.

I hitched a ride on the ferry from Halifax to check out Ice Fest 2025. Which was a little underwhelming, at night anyways.

I knew I was going to be grabbing dinner, and knew I was definitely going to be making that stop at Side Hustle. I’ve heard nothing but good things and love seeing a small to medium sized menu.

It was a little busy, but there were open spots at the bar and it was just me. So I grabbed a beer and got to chatting with the bartender while I looked at the menu.

He recommended the fried chicken sandwich, even though the smashie is excellent, he prefers the chicken. So I grabbed that.

The flavours were fantastic, the bun soft and non intrusive(it was small). The chicken was juicy and tender and the batter crisp.

Now…. The fries. My god the fries. I don’t think I can get enough of the garlic cheese fries they offer. They were absolutely amazing.

100% going to be returning on one of my next trips across the harbour.

Thank you, Side Hustle for an amazing meal.

Evan M.

Fantastic and quick service and the food was very good! I got the fish tacos and they were bang on. Free refills on coffee always a nice touch too!

Sera W.

I went to Side Hustle last Friday for a nice dinner out while visiting some friends in Dartmouth. We were seated as soon as we arrived, but not offered menus, water or drinks for 20+ minutes.
As 3/4 of our party are vegetarian, we were excited to try some of the many vegetarian options on the menu. We ordered the cauliflower, noodle dish with tofu and rice dish with salt and pepper tofu to share. After trying all of the dishes, we noticed that the "salt and pepper tofu" in the rice dish was actually chicken. This was upsetting and we called the server over. She did not seem to believe us at first and asked us to show her another piece in the dish? She then offered to get us a new dish with tofu instead, but we were already near the end of our meal. We expressed that we did not want another dish and were feeling uneasy as we have not had meat in over 15 years.
The server said she would investigate and then did not return for 20 mins to let us know that she was done her shift and the dish was "taken care of". We did not receive an apology and it felt like we were ignored. We ended up going home after instead of our to a concert, as we were were feeling sick.
This really ruined what should have been a fun night out. We were disappointed by our experience and will likely not return.

Dylan M.

The Smashie is an excellent choice! We enjoyed it so much the first night that we came back the next and got two more. Their other options were also really tasty and the staff was super welcoming! Highly recommend, especially for burger lovers!